Posted By TheNewsCommenter: From News.yahoo.com: “GOP Rep. Questions Dems’ Commitment to Stopping Gun Violence at Whitaker Hearing”. Below is an excerpt from the article.

Representative John Ratcliffe (R., Texas) questioned his Democratic colleagues’ commitment to preventing gun violence on Friday, citing their lack of questions pertaining to the issue during acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker’s appearance before the House Judiciary Committee.

“Earlier this week my colleagues on the other side of the aisle indicated they had a great desire to reduce gun violence in this country. In fact we had an eight-hour hearing with six witnesses that talked about the need to reduce gun violence in this country,” Ratcliffe said.

“We started this hearing at 9:30 this morning. It’s now 12:30 in the afternoon, and I haven’t seen you [Whitaker] field a single question from the other side of the aisle about any of the enforcement priorities of the Department of Justice,” he continued. “Despite the fact that you are the head of an organization that has a greater ability to impact and reduce gun violence than anyone or anything in the country.”

Prior to Ratcliffe’s raising the issue of gun-violence prevention, Whitaker faced questions from Republicans and Democrats alike that related almost exclusively to his oversight of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing Russia investigation.

Ratfcliffe went on to ask specifically about a program known as “Project Safe Neighborhoods,” which, he said, “took guns out of the hands of criminal offenders,” and was shut down by the Obama administration despite a proven record of success before being reinstated by the Trump administration.

The country described by the Democrats running for president is mired in child poverty, riven with economic unfairness and broken in its approach to health care, crime and guns. The country presented by President Donald Trump is roaring…

The top U.S. general for NATO says he expects increased violence in Afghanistan in the lead-up to the election later this month, and says allies will make necessary adjustments to military operations there.